Site description
A rocky area on the coast of south-east Puglia, south of the town of Otranto. Habitats are dominated by pseudo-steppes, garrigue, pastures and cultivated land. Cultivation and stock-rearing are the main land-uses.
Key biodiversity
An important `bottleneck' site for raptors migrating along the Adriatic coast in spring. It is considered that more than 3,000 raptors pass each spring, although there is only incomplete data from one year (1989), when a total of about 1,500 birds were counted, mainly harriers Circus and Pernis apivorus.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Cape Otranto and Cape Santa Maria di Leuca coast. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 07/02/2023.